Seasons In The Abyss
by Raidou The 16th
Summary: Follow Naoya Toudou in his journey through the depths of oblivion, a place where only the forsaken reside. AU, sidequest like story. Expands further on the Fallen concept. SYOC, see inside for more information.
1. I Am The Law

Ugh...

Where was I...?

I put my hand to my forehead and slowly opened my eyes. Adjusting to the new lights was easier than what I thought it would be. If that was the case, I must have been dreaming, or something.

Finally, a break... It'd been a while since I could sit back and enjoy a dream. So I should just relax and feel the moment.

I slowly got up and breathed in my surroundings...

... The smell wasn't very much alive. In fact, it was very interesting...

It felt like I was... far. Far from what? I had no idea.

I was in a corridor, kind of a long one. The walls were white, which immediately brought the words 'halls of justice' to my head, but these vanished just as quickly as I realized the faint fragrance of a green, full of life field, which happened to lay itself before my eyes as soon as I looked to the side through one of the many windows on the wall.

It was beautiful... truly amazing. But still, even though there was a window there, it felt so impossible to go outside for some reason...

I didn't come all the way into a dream just to feel claustrophobic, dammit...

But still, I couldn't help it.

To try and escape that feeling, I began my stroll forward, not knowing where that corridor would lead.

I could literally imagine the wind grazing my skin, as I looked outside, but it just felt impossible for me do as much as stick a hand out the window.

Annoyed by my feeling of imprisonment in a time where I should have been relaxing and forgetting my worries, I reached for one of the windows and tried to pry it o-...

... what?

I ran my hand across the completely flat surface...

The window... was just a painting on the wall...

But...

The wind kept blowing and moving the grass from side to side, while the faint smell still poured in through my nostrils.

What in the...

I shook my head.

It was a dream. What was I freaking out for?

Letting go of the wall, but failing to do so for my annoyance, I resumed my walk. Eventually, I reached a grand set of doors... white ones, twice my height, with golden engravings and transparent, incredibly well crafted door knobs.

... Was that diamond? Or was it crystal?

Regardless, I shook away my marvel and grabbed at it, before I-

* * *

 _I, Naoya Toudou, accept this fate of my own, free will._

* * *

... Hm?

What was that?

I looked at the doorknob, then at my hand.

Both were red with my blood, but I wasn't hurt.

...

Regardless, my curiosity pushed me to reach and open the door.

...

... A surge of white light poured through the door and blinded me, making me shield my eyes using my left arm.

Now, I took some time to adjust.

Did I stop dreaming...?

The room was much darker than the corridor. When I could make out most of the room's details...

... Holy...

The first thing I noticed was the desk directly across the room. There was someone completely focused on what they were doing...

And then, when I looked around, I kind of feared what the person was so caught up into...

First of all, there was the severed head of a statue of lady justice hanging from the ceiling.

Then there was a big shield hanging on the wall.

 _ **Naoya Toudou...**_

I heard a voice in the distance. I knew it couldn't have been from the person in front of me...

When I looked to the side, I saw a small guillotine... the size to fit up on a bedside table... in front of it was a plate with... severed... fingers...

I...

 _ **I am the Mirror. I welcome you...**_

The voice rang out again. I couldn't pay as much attention to it as I'd like to, because the person began to rise up from their seat.

Holy...

 _ **Into the Halls of the Fallen.**_

I looked from side to side, the walls were dirty, and...

There was a sword in my hand. A straight sword with a crown adorning its hilt.

Would I have to fight...?

 _ **Land of the forgotten, home of the absent.**_

"Hello, there." The person greeted me. It seemed to be a man... "I've never seen you around before."

I simply raised my sword on a guard and backed up slowly as they finally turned towards me.

Short, messy brown hair, a bloodied hospital mask, long leather coat, a crucifix hanging from his collar...

And a bloody pair of pliers in his hand.

"I am Shinato Kurogawa. You know that breaking and entering is a crime, right...? You shouldn't have broken into my personal space..."

I simply looked to the sides before focusing on him again.

"I'll teach you to behave! Mastro!" He yelled, as if calling something upon...

And call something upon he did...

He was engulfed by a blue mist, and when it subsided, another being appeared behind him...

Donning royal, antique garments, including a white, bloodied scarf, an executioner wearing a steel, faceless mask and wielding a two handed, bloodstained and rusty axe presented itself.

... Was that a persona?

...?

"Bring him to justice!" Shinato commanded.

Mastro glided towards me with great speed, aiming a horizontal cut at me... probably looking to behead me...

Kicked into motion, I ducked and rolled away from the wall, under the mighty swing that would probably kill me right there and then...

Dream as it may have seemed to be, I couldn't risk putting my guard down. I'd been through enough to know that I could very well be in mortal danger...

I concentrated for a moment, searching deep into my soul for my own persona.

"Starion..." I called upon.

... I felt the crown hilt of my sword burn brightly. That warmth took me over as I felt the familiar presence of my persona.

"Garu... la." I commanded, as I felt something missing.

Starion obeyed and threw a gust of wind towards the demented man, who'd just dismissed his persona. The gale connected dead on, but all he did was shake his head annoyed, after a quiet wince of pain.

"No, no, that won't do. Come on! You have yet to serve your time!" He screamed as he rushed towards me with pliers in hand.

I raised my guard once more and prepared to face the charge.

In fact, I was beginning to doubt his speed. I prepared to counter whatever he did with a preemptive slash. He didn't have the reach, anyway...

I swung my sword horizontally, aiming for his chest...

... Where did he go?

Ugh!

I faltered forward as I felt a heavy impact in my ribs...

How fast was this guy!

"Don't give up yet... I haven't even gotten started!" He said as he spartan kicked me in the back and sent me to the ground.

I wasted no time rolling to my feet and raised a guard again.

How... how to counter that freaking speed...

I called Starion upon, once more. This time, he glided inches above the ground with his back turned to mine.

Keeping him up for a long time would be taxing, but that was what I needed...

"You think that'll save you? You were judged guilty before you even started this... don't try to change your fate." Shinato said as he called his persona once more. "Garudyne!"

The executioner raised his axe to the sky, and I could feel the wind rising from beneath me and Apollo. Not even thinking to dodge based on the attack he used, both me and my persona were blown away by the sudden tornado, only Starion had the luck of being able to return to my mind.

I didn't, and ended flying back first into a wall. By a wind attack.

Shinato took the opportunity and rushed alongside his persona towards me. I could just tell there was a smile under that mask...

Mastro was closing in faster than his owner... I didn't think I'd be able to summon my persona in time, so I only did what I had time to do...

Following my instincts, I tried the strongest vertical slash that I could, in hopes to counter the persona's advance...

When I completed the strike, I heard the distinctive sound of broken glass.

Hell yeah, it worked!

But I didn't have much time to rejoice, as I felt the cold steel of Shinato's pliers striking me on the cheek...

I was knocked down again... the strike was heavy as hell. I began to taste blood in my mouth... and a few pieces of something hard drifted inside of my mouth...

Did he my break my teeth in...?

I spat to the side and turned my attention back to...

... where was he?

Holy shit, where was he?!

I looked frantically from side to side, until I looked up.

The bastard was standing on the ceiling, upside down, wielding his persona's axe!

How?!

He jumped down with a laugh and readied a slash that would surely be the end of me. The only thing I could do was try and raise my sword on a block, which I knew almost for certain that wasn't going to work.

...

But it did.

And then the crown on my sword lit up strongly once more, this time covering the blade with wind.

What the Hell was that sword...?

Regardless, I gave one strong push to throw Shinato off, because he was still bent on trying to break through my steel. Or whatever material that thing was made of...

Wasting no time getting up, I did the first attack that came to mind: rushing forward, I tried to put my sword through Shinato's chest as he staggered back and his axe disappeared.

Bad mistake...

The man simply gave a chuckle and dodge to the side with a twirl, before grabbing me on a choke hold from behind.

Kicking and trying to scream, I tried to power my way out of his grip, but it was no use.

And then I heard a laugh. The cold of what I assumed to be his pliers gripped at my ear.

Oh, no...

"Time to teach you some discipline, boy. I'll make sure your ear is right next to me all the time, so you can always hear my voice and remember not to stray..."

With another laugh, he began pulling at my ear... slowly applying force so I could feel every bit of the pain...

The crown lit up strongly, once again.

And then the laughter suddenly stopped.

I knew what Starion had done...

Feeling the pressure on my ear lighten almost immediately, I stepped away and turned around to see Shinato's body on the ground, blood leaking out of his ear...

The pain was still there, though. And it was intense. The guy was really gonna rip my ear off...

... That definitely wasn't a dream.

 _"What are you doing!?"_

I heard Shinato's voice ring throughout the room. But his body still laid static on the floor...

 _"Can't you see I'm on your side?! You can't do this to me! You can't!"_

His disembodied voice still kept going...

I looked up and around...

The severed head was the one speaking with Shinato's voice...

 _"You cannot! Kill! The law!..."_

It said before releasing a horrid scream. The string which suspended it broke apart and it fell to the ground with an audible thud.

 _"Justice is lost... Justice is gone..."_

It finished it's speech, as its neck began to bleed.

... I was starting to feel sick...

Where in the Hell was I?

My head felt lighter... my dizziness only intensified.

Finally, I fainted.

...

...

* * *

 **Hello, and welcome to this new fic slash project. This exploits the concept that me and Nightly 7 came up with: The Fallen Persona users.**

 **Here, hopefully, I'll be able to shed some light on how this concept works, what it's based upon... the works.**

 **And as I do that, I'd like your help. Yes, you.**

 **First, let me explain what a Fallen persona user is: A persona user falls when he gives away his conscience for whatever reason. Be it to be released from a suffering they judged eternal, because they are guilty... They give up on their minds and fall into oblivion.**

 **So, for this adventure, I want your fallen persona users. That's right, you get to create a fallen persona user that will appear in this story. And what's really fun: You can create one from any place, and any period in history, granted that he/she's a fallen.**

 **Tell me what you need for me to have an idea of them: Name, appearance, personality, reason to have fallen, where they lived, when they lived, which persona they had (you can create a persona, as well)... anything you may need.**

 **You can send me your characters through pm, or post in the review box below. Speaking of the review box, you know what else you can do with it? Tell me what you think of this fic.**

 **Anyway, that's it for this chapter. See y'all later.**


	2. Lone Justice

Ugh... Why was I always waking up at these different places? That was already starting to get on my nerves, even more now that I knew that I wasn't in a dream.

I rubbed my eyes and took a look at my surroundings, once more.

And my surroundings looked back at me.

That was a whole lot of mirrors... All shapes and sizes, on a grey-ish blue wall that formed a circular, but far from small room. Much on the contrary, actually. It was a huge, tall room. I couldn't locate the source of the light that made see all that, though...

"Naoya Toudou!"

I almost jumped at the booming voice which came outta nowhere.

And then again, as two orbs of the clearest, deepest blue appeared before me. It was as if they were staring straight at me...

After some two seconds, a... a... a face began to materialize around it. Slowly but surely, its features became visible...

It was my face.

Only its eyes were those crystal orbs...

Uh...

"I am the Mirror. It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance." The face greeted, as a body began to form under it, as well. It was me... I was looking at my own image, right there.

I knew that thing had just called itself the Mirror, but... Still.

"... Where am I?" I asked.

"These are the Halls of the Fallen, land of the forgotten, home of the absent." It answered.

Oh... so that... I supposed I should have been calling that 'him'. Anyway, so it was him who was shouting in my head, back then.

... Was I getting schizophrenic?

Most likely.

"I am here to show what you need to see. You will stay here until you realize the answer you seek." He continued.

... Oh, that. So that was why I was there... Okay.

At least he'd provide some guidance.

My face fell from startled to neutral.

"Here, you will see the fate of many who lost themselves in the Absence. Each of these mirrors around you is a portrait... a picture, if you will, of the minds that were lost and withdrawn from their vessels. They lie stale behind these transparent doors, forever doomed not to progress and trapped in their own little world. They are but a token of my regret in having to reap these consciences. Each one brighter than the last, pure potential laid to waste due the will of others...

You will bear witness to their worlds. You will live their stories until you reach a conclusion about your own.

And you will also learn about the Absence and the Fallen. You no longer have a choice, since you signed the contract upon opening the door."

Huh? What did he mean I-

* * *

 _I, Naoya Toudou, accept this fate of my own, free will._

* * *

... Oh. That was right.

"You are free to stare into any of the mirrors you may like. I'll take you into their worlds, as you wish. You are free to summon me any time. I am always with you..." He said, as his bodily form slowly vanished, with the orbs disappearing last.

And I was left to myself in that place. It was quieter than quiet... There was no one there but me, after all.

I looked around, trying to think of where to go next.

But the word 'next' itself gave me an idea.

I decided to look around, and soon spotted a mirror from whence I felt a familiar presence. I walked forwards towards it.

As I approached it, my reflection began to shift and warp, until the image in it was not mine anymore.

I was in control of Shinato's image, mask and all. I took my hand to my mouth, looking to take it off, but my mouth was all I felt.

My brain bugged for a second. Did I not change...? I waved at the mirror: surely enough, Shinato imitated my movements perfectly.

... Oh, I knew.

I tried to will that sword into my hand. Sure enough, it heeded my call.

I stared at the immaculate steel, and sure enough, my face hadn't changed.

Oh, okay, that was how that worked.

I then felt the need to put my sword forward and thrust the mirror. The point of the sword went straight through it, as if I was dipping the sword in water.

My hand followed, and then my whole body advanced through the mirror.

...

...

Where was I?

Rather, what was I? Something was very wrong, there.

I looked down at my hands... why was I wearing gloves?

Why was I leaning against the back wall of a gambling parlor?

Why did I know that was a gambling parlor?

Where in the Hell was I?

Just above my head there was a window, which I used to look inside of the small building.

A few people were playing mahjong, for money, of course. From middle age to old men, rich to poor. Even though the number I saw was small, the variety between them was notable.

All of a sudden, one of them shot up to their feet and began yelling at the other men, who also shot up and defied him.

... He was gonna start running away in three...

... What?

Two...

How did I know that?

One...

Hey!

The man simply up and darted out of the room, and so did I, already aware of his escape route through the woods by the side of the parlor.

Why did I know that...?!

I broke into a run, taking a route I knew I'd be able to catch up to him, and he wouldn't be able to see me.

He ran into the trees, as expected, and I ran east of his position, closing in ever so patiently.

When he hit the dead center of the woods, I knew exactly what to do.

And that was the scary part.

"Mastro!" I shouted at the top of my lungs, and the executioner appeared.

The man's scream of terror was loud, I was sure it rang all throughout the small village. He tried to turn around to search for the source of that wicked summoning call, but he could see nothing as the masked butcher fell upon him and hit him on the head with the handle of his axe, knocking him out cold.

Clicking my tongue a few times, I walked towards his location and picked him up by the collar, dragging him to my cellar.

Or rather, under my cellar.

Why did I know I had a cellar?!

...

...

I laid his body on the table in front of me, finished tying the knots and threw a cup of something that was in my hand-

... Was that coffee?

It was dark, and his face began to redden up really quick. Steam was coming up, as well.

Was that coffee?!

"Wake up. Smell the coffee." The words left my mouth.

Holy Hell that was coffee!

The man came up coughing and hacking, before he let loose some screams of agony.

"You have no idea where you are, do you? Scream all you want, nobody's going to hear you."

After gasping for air, the man released some coherent words. "What do you want from me?!" Incomprehensible? No. Desperate? You bet.

"Well, let's see your record..." I tapped my temples, as if I had trouble recalling what that man did, which I obviously didn't.

He was an addict. He'd lost everything, his wife was in the red light district because of his debts, and his vice led him to rob houses and people, just so he could go back to playing his games. It was as depressing as it was sickening, really.

I vocalized those words.

"I have all the right! I am the father of my house, you cannot tell me what to do with her!" Was his response.

It seemed he'd only heard that part of the speech.

I took the glasses from the pocket of my apron... which I didn't remember putting on, and put them over my eyes.

Sexist... ignorant...

I pressed the glasses too hard against the bridge of my nose. That infuriated me to no end...

... No, it didn't. Okay, maybe it did, but I'd never be so unhinged as I was now, under any other condition.

Closing my eyes, I exhaled and took my hand off my face.

"Look, I have judged you guilty of the crimes you've committed. I've been watching you for a while, now, you have no hope of walking the path of God. Do you have any last words before I carry on your execution?"

The man's eyes widened, and I could see some bubbles in his red face, then. "What do you mean execution?!"

Paying no mind to his pleas, I walked back towards my desk and opened my case of tools...

... Just thinking that made me sick to my stomach.

Somehow, I gained enough control to look to the sides, for but a few seconds. I saw that guillotine and the shield on the wall.

I then focused against my will on my task once more, and drew the pliers from the box.

... If I could, I'd have swallowed dry right at that moment.

I then gripped at the crucifix dangling from my neck, before turning back around and walking towards the table, looking up to say a prayer not even I understood.

As he looked up, I could see Lady Justice's severed head hanging from the ceiling before I closed my eyes.

Upon reaching the table, I opened my eyes and looked down on the man who was kicking and screaming in front of me.

"Let justice be served..." I said lowly as the pliers in my hand approached his ear...

And then I felt my head getting lighter and lighter...

I fainted.

* * *

 **So, back with this again. Again, I wanna than** **k** Raygha Raikouga **for the contribution for the story.**

 **I'm still accepting OC's for this. Here's hoping you enjoyed the chapter. Please, critics and opinions and contributions in the review box below, I'm Raidou the 16th and I approve this message. *thumbs up* See ya later.**

 **Also, go read Persona 3: Bloodlust, by Nightly 7. It's on fire.**


	3. Caught In A Mosh

**Sup? This is back. So, uh, before I start, let me make something clear. Some chapters of this fic will be M rated because of dark themes. And this is likely to be one of those chapter, so I dunno if I should change the fic to M, or just put up a warning like this every time a chapter like that pops up. That said, here's the chapter. Hope you can enjoy it.**

* * *

...

If I woke up in a different place again, I swear...

Slowly, I opened my eyes.

Goddammit...

... Actually, that was not my biggest concern...

Why was I tied down?

Why was I kneeling down?

Who were all these people?

Gah, the sun was blinding! I shut my eyes closed again lest they got fried in their sockets.

Holy Hell...

"On behalf of the whole village of Tsukigata, I declare this miscreant... guilty of all charges!" The owner of the hand which was lying on my back said, and I could hear the people cheering.

... Uh...

Okay, time to open my eyes again.

Where was I?

I strained my eyes, but I could keep them open for a while. long enough to know I was on a makeshift stand. It was a bit tall, so even though I was kneeling, people were still at my chest's height.

... I must have been in Shinato's mind, still.

Before I could look back, I felt a boot kick me in the back. I tumbled forward out of the stand and fell to the ground before me.

I was tied, so there was nothing I could do to soften my fall. Only thing I could do was to try and fall on my side, instead of hitting my teeth on the dirt.

It was not long before the first kick came. Right to the stomach.

I grit my teeth to try and swallow the pain. Shinato tried to summon Mastro, but something was compelling him not to. I fact, something was even restraining his voice... I tried to speak something, but...

I held my breath. Not Shinato, but me, inside his head.

What was this agony...

I tried again, and my chest hurt. I never...

I'd never felt anything like that.

And the beating began, everyone trying to land a punch, or a kick, or throw a rock. Anything to inflict pain.

Shinato took the hits and couldn't even say a word. I saw the exact moment a rock hit his forehead, and the blood began to drip onto his eyelids. I was seeing red through his eyes.

From the wall of people that stood before Shinato, a child came and approached him.

"This is for dad!" The kid stepped up and punted my head, hard as he could. The neck almost snapped backwards and I was almost literally kicked out of his head, as his conscience threatened to fade.

The strikes continued, until I felt the still working eyelid shoot wide open.

And then the pain of a thrust to my side.

Was that a knife...?

I painfully looked towards the man holding a bloodied small dagger in his hand, being dragged back by a few other people with an accomplished smirk on his face.

"Go to Hell!" I could read his lips before he faded back into the crowd.

Speaking of the crowd...

I was skipping breaths, myself.

Lying down in the eye of a tornado of furious people... being kicked left and right... despised. Outcast. Hated. Broken, beat and scarred...

... Let me tell you a secret.

I used to be claustrophobic.

And that came back to me at that instant, full force.

Wherever I was inside of Shinato's head, I took a clenched fist to my mouth as my stomach whirled and swirled.

And I didn't have a stomach!

I felt suffocated. I was no longer skipping breaths, it was like I was unable to breathe.

It wasn't even the death or the pain that was getting to me, because I could, somehow, turn his pain on and off, as I noticed. Kind of like an empathy switch. I just didn't know how to control it, yet. Sometimes I'd feel his pain, sometimes I'd activate his reflexes... I'd have to figure out how that worked.

But regardless of that "switch", I couldn't escape what I was feeling at that moment.

It was too much...

"Enough!" I heard a voice from behind me. It was the voice of the one that kicked me off the stand. "It's time to end this murderer's streak, don't you all think?"

The crowd cheered and stepped back from Shinato. I could finally notice the light of noon, again.

He was pulled to his feet by his hair, and I felt the cold of a blade pressing against his neck.

"So...? Got any last words?! Hahahaha!" The man laughed right into my ear as he pulled harshly on Shinato's hair. He knew the beaten man couldn't speak.

'Hypocrites!'

... Huh?

'You all deserve to die, you ungrateful bastards!'

... What was that...?

Was it...?

'I can't believe I even tried to turn this Hell you all deserve to live in into a better place!'

Shinato?

Those thoughts flew around loosely. I could hear them clearly, inside of his head.

I could feel a very quiet click... maybe that was the empathy switch turning o- Holy...

I could feel Shinato's scowl and heavy breathing, as he ran his working eye on the crowd. It was as if I, myself, was making that expression.

That was spite, stronger than I've ever felt. He could see each of the faces before him dying in different ways. For a split second, I swear I saw the flash of bloodied face among the crowd.

And it all went downhill from there, as his deranged mind began to interact with mine.

Marked foreheads...

Cracked skulls...

Severed fingers...

Locked lips...

Knit eyelids...

Hate. Pure hatred for the things he fought so hard to protect.

He wanted everything to crumble at his hand, at that moment.

But alas, he was there. He, himself, was looking like one of his visions. They deemed him the thing he despised the most.

A worthless criminal...

...

I'd shake my head, if I could. For a moment, I kind of felt for him.

... What?

He was a serial killer! What was I saying?!

...

I...

I'd need time to think about that.

'I wasted myself and was denied by the ones I tried to protect. I've nothing left for the world. Just kill me, already...'

... what?

'I give up.'

As he thought that, I could hear my executioner's laugh, as the blade cut clean across my throat.

...

I could feel the warm blood running on my skin, heading down towards my chest.

Right after that, I was tossed and fell limp to the ground. My head bounced helplessly once, as my conscience began to fade to the sound of laughter and cheering...

...

...

I opened my eyes again to find myself staring at the Shinato's mirror, with hands wrapped around my throat. The man was reflecting my movements, but his throat was actually bleeding. I just couldn't see the wound because my hand was probably over it.

Stupefied, I kept staring at the image before me.

I now knew what it was like to have my throat slit.

...

I shook my head and straightened myself back up, calming my mind down a bit.

Shinato also mimicked my movement and took his hands off his throat, but this time, the blood disappeared. In fact, all expression disappeared. He was only staring back, motionless and... empty.

I took a deep breath and let my shoulders fall, before exhaling.

What an experience...

Closing my eyes, I turned around and looked at the many mirrors around me.

Would I have to live all of those lives?

Sigh...

It was already enough living mine. I thought I was suffering enough with everyone drifting away as they were, but... apparently, I had a lot to learn.

That was gonna be a long ride...

* * *

 **Aaaand done. You know what I like about this fic? I can let this kind of scene loose. I like writing this kind of mood, it's fun. So, this is the end of Shinato's story. I'll have to pick a new character to work on for the next set of chapters, so... send your characters. Well, now for the usual AN; Critics and opinions in the review box below, I'm Raidou the 16th and I approve this message. *thumbs up* And before I go, here are some suggestions.**

 **Persona 3: Alone in the world, by Changling96. I think it's got a pretty original concept that may hook you in.**

 **Persona 3: Bloodlust and Fallen Messiah, both by Nightly7. They are on fire, right now.**

 **Okay, now I'm off. Later. o/**


	4. Don't Fear The Reaper

**Hello. Back with this fic. So, another day, another character. I'm still accepting new characters, so send'em my way. That said, disclaimers, and hope you enjoy the read.**

* * *

I wish I could say another day another mirror, but I didn't think time mattered there.

Shinato kept staring back at me with his soulless eyes. The mere sight of him brought me feelings I didn't want to deal with again, so I looked away.

But at the same time, a mixture of feelings compelled me to look back at him again.

Mixture so varied, I didn't know what to choose. What did I think about him?

I was there to look into those mirrors, maybe an opinion about that was important.

...

Important as it seemed to be, I couldn't make up my mind at that moment.

I felt in no way hungry, or tired, or anything of the sort, so maybe staring into another mirror could make me reach a conclusion...

... Yeah.

Looking around, I picked one of the mirrors to my right.

Upon looking into a it, the image of a young woman looked back at me. What immediately caught my attention were the two jagged daggers she held. And the second thing that I paid attention were her eyes.

Green. The clearest green I'd ever seen.

It was funny. Her eyes didn't match her expression. You could usually say that when someone faked a smile, but she wasn't. Her expression was neutral, and yet... her eyes were so beautiful, I couldn't help but imagine a small smile underneath them. Aside from that, her hair was tied in a ponytail. Although black, it was clearly dyed, as the tip of her locks were blond. Was she a foreigner...?

She distracted me from the thoughts I had earlier, but not for long. Still an achievement.

I thought about calling the Mirror, but I doubted he was going to give me any answers.

Sighing, I looked back at her as my sword began to shine. Before I could think, I was already dipping it into her mirror, opening the door. I stepped inside and let the white light consume my sight.

...

...

I blinked once, then twice. Adjusting to the lighting wasn't as hard as the other times. When I looked around...

Where was I?

It was a house. A big house, at that. It was a living room, only the windows were shattered, things laid broken on the floor... even signs of struggle were visible.

What the Hell happened there...?

The room was big enough for someone to simply do that cloth acrobatics thing. I didn't know the name of that.

... Oh, it was that girl. I could recognize her by the hair, even though she had her back turned towards me as she swayed back and forth, hanging from the cloth.

What seemed to be bed sheets rather than equipment adequate for the sport hanged from the abnormally high ceiling. As the cloth twisted and turned with her graceful movements, I could see some stains... red ones.

... Oh, no. Not another one...

She sat on the sheets as if they were a swing, except she wasn't swinging.

Then she arched her back and looked at me while upside down.

I didn't exactly see her eyes, though, with her pitch black mask on the way.

She completed her backwards movement and flipped back to the ground, firmly planting her feet to complete her landing. Upon hitting the ground, I saw her drawing her daggers from inside of her black jacket.

"... Just another one. Just another one who'll end up in next week's news. Say, what do you want to accomplish by facing me?" She asked.

I didn't have an answer, and wouldn't say anything even I had one. Nothing I had to say would change her.

I sighed as my sword answered my call...

"Regardless... You stand in my way." She said, pointing a dagger at me. "I'm Rally Kirishima. It's nothing personal, but... I'll have to rip you apart."

I shook my head and took a stance. Something told me that... I dunno. Right off the bat, I figured she was way different from Shinato.

Maybe... just maybe... she didn't deserve to be here.

But I wouldn't let that thought kill me.

With short notice, she broke into a dash towards me, haste on her step.

No way I could let her in. I put my sword in a reverse grip and readied to slash at her midsection. And I did, with a fluid motion as soon as she got within striking range.

What I didn't expect, however, was her doing a back flip to avoid my strike, then rebounding with a lunging thrust.

I didn't even have time to widen my eyes, I only sidestepped. Just enough for her jacket to brush my face before she landed on the ground with a roll.

As she got up, I immediately took a step back.

No matter what measure I took, I got the feeling that I'd be underestimating her speed. I couldn't mess with that... and I thought I was pretty quick.

... And that Shinato was the quickest I'd ever seen.

How would I counter her...?

She got up and turned towards me, before tilting her head a bit. Maybe she was surprised she missed. After clicking her tongue, she charged at me again.

Still trying to think, I fell back and thought about kicking the nearby table to halt her advance, but I didn't think it'd work. Her leap confirmed my theory, and she brought her right dagger down at me.

I hopped back, quickly as I could to make her hit the ground, but instead she fell like she was ready to strike again. And she did, this time trying a thrust to my heart.

My only option was to use my sword to parry it to the side, but that opened my guard to the slash that followed and tore my chest, drawing blood.

I staggered back, the pain getting to me. No persona yet, and she was already giving me this much trouble...

I needed to think of something, fast.

The crown of my sword lit up. "Starion!" I called. "Garula!"

A hurricane was raised in front of her, and she tried to block her face and shield her eyes, but she skidded back. It seemed she wasn't completely vulnerable to wind...

I tried the same attack again, but she quickly hopped back. The green twister blocked my view of her, and I couldn't see the flying black razor until it sliced through the wind I had created.

My reflexes told me to duck as quickly as I could, and so I did. But I didn't count on her being right in front of me.

In fact, Holy Hell, she was fast!

All she had to do was hit a soccer kick straight to my nose to send me to the ground, bleeding and yelling with pain.

"Farewell!" Not relenting, she immediately jumped on top of me, pointing her daggers at my face. I desperately gripped at her wrists and tried to power out of certain death. As she stared me down, I could notice something about her mask.

It wasn't plastic or any other common material. It was like a veil... a supernatural veil. I couldn't make out any of her features, but I could faintly... notice... her face behind the cover, save for her eyes. Were they closed...?

...

Maybe it was the thought, maybe it was the strain, but something suddenly clicked in my head.

And I knew what that click meant, but that only made me more confused.

In fact, I'm sure that if I wasn't trying to push two daggers away from my face, I'd have halted with surprise.

"Garudyne!" I shouted at the top of my lungs. Winds burst forth from underneath me, but I knew that wasn't the work of Starion.

The girl was sent flying back and landed on her knees. When she looked back at me, she tilted her head, noticing the steel masked executioner floating behind me. "Huh... didn't know you could change."

Neither did I, under those circumstances. Sure, I could before, but that was a whole different story. "Now you do. Mastro Titta!" I shouted his full name, as I felt my sword coming back to my hand. Instead of a crown, a shiny balance adorned its hilt. "Fatal End!"

The persona glided towards the girl raising his giant axe on the way only to slam it down with full force with a vertical slash... which scarred and shook the ground where the she would be, if she hadn't leaped to the side in time. Without showing any form of mercy, Mastro swung his weapon once more, now in a horizontal strike, following my quiet command.

She immediately rolled back under the swing to gain some distance and avoid the brutal strike.

Meanwhile, I was set in motion. Calling the persona back into my mind, I infused my sword with wind and sent razor after razor of the element towards her by slashing the air.

She swiftly made her way through flurry of attacks by weaving, ducking and twirling. Her agility was unnerving...

Steadily, she began to close the distance I was trying to maintain. I tried to step back, but the quicker my steps became, the more aggressive her advance became.

Until she found the opening she wanted.

Ducking low under an admittedly pretentious slash aimed to her head, she stepped forward, pressed her left forearm to my throat and rushed me to the wall which was a few feet behind me. My back collided against the wall with a thud as I felt the pressure on my neck abruptly halt my breathing.

My eyes widened as she stared at me through her veil, still with her eyes closed. "As I said before, it's nothing personal. I hope you hold no hard feelings." She said, as she raised the dagger in her right hand, ready to pierce my face.

I would be gasping for breath, if I could. My eyes darted all around, subconsciously looking for an escape. The only thing I could focus on, however, was the deadly sharp dagger that was about to end my li-

...

I intentionally held my breath and called my sword back into my hand to quickly thrust her midsection with it, just as she pulled her arm back. I couldn't even see where I struck her, I just did.

Shrieking, she released her right dagger and clutched the wound as she staggered back and let me go.

I gasped for breath for a brief moment and watched her raise her head once more. I couldn't see it, but I could feel her frustrated rage as she called her dagger back to her hand, in a similar fashion as I did my sword.

... Was she using a persona...? How did she do that...?

She traced a dark circle in the air using the dagger she had just called back, then did little else.

Expecting her to do something, I stared at her, ready to react to any of her movements.

Too late did I notice the black ring under me, which exploded with a darker, purple light.

Gasping, I fell to one knee.

I could feel a foul taste in my mouth. It seemed as if something was dragging me under from within. My head hurt, my teeth were grit without my permission, and I could almost contain my screams of agony, even though I wasn't feeling pain other than the headache. I was just... suffering.

She rushed towards me with a roar, but I could notice a flaw in her guard as she advanced. I held my ground and fainted a slash at her open wound, and she flinched, her movement breaking for the briefest of moments.

Which was just enough for me.

I turned around with a spinning slash to the side she wasn't guarding. It connected and drew blood from her new wound, along with a scream from her throat.

The phantom agony pulled at my strings again, and my vision threatened to black out as she staggered back.

Wait...

Was it really my vision, or was the place getting darker?

I looked at her. The dark veil covering her face was beginning to sip into the surroundings like black fog, which seemed to swallow the light.

Another surge of pain made me clutch my head and shut my eyes. When I opened them again, the place was completely dark...

"Calm down. This will all be over soon..." I heard her voice echo through the darkness.

Shit...

I couldn't even react as a slash tore through my back and I faltered forward with a yell of pain.

I felt a shiver rock my body. Where was she...? Where she strike from next...? What would she do?!

"Don't resist!" Another slash rapidly struck the back of my knee and made me drop to the ground with another scream.

Shit, shit, shit...!

My mind was running two hundred miles per hour, but my body wasn't moving an inch. What if I died?! I didn't understand anything, yet, would I fail? What would happen if I failed?!

"Mastro!" I yelled out in desperation as the balance lit up once more. I didn't even know what to do, I just summoned him so he could guard me from something. Anything!

Even the balance's light couldn't brighten the place. It was like the darkness was solid... rather, it was as if it had a body, and it had a hand around the hilt of my sword, choking it.

But I still looked towards the light, clinging to it. Even swallowed by the dark, it was still a light.

I held the sword up in an attempt to scan the place and it shone brighter, which pierced the darkness enough for me to witness a razor flying at me.

Titta swung his big axe and parried the soaring blade away.

"Tsk... enough games." She said calmly through the darkness.

The light in my sword glowed brighter still, and its light began to engulf my arm, as well, as Mastro was called back into my mind.

After wondering for a brief moment, the situation became clear for me.

Struggling to stand up on my feet, I aimed with my sword.

There she was.

I could see her standing up on one of the room's luster which was almost directly above me, ready to leap down.

And she did.

"Die!" She demanded, throwing two dark razors during her descent, while readying her two daggers to end my life.

I could see too clearly.

Time seemed to slow down as the light on my arm condensed back into the sword, concentrating at the tip of its blade.

"Xanadu!" I fired a thin beam of light through the razors and piercing through her chest, which made her release a cry of pain.

She began to fall to the ground, and I was set in motion on instinct. It didn't take me more than two steps to get underneath her. I tried to stop her fall and managed to do so, only my leg gave out underneath me again and I fell to one knee, struggling to bite back the pain. I failed to hold back a yelp, though.

The dark veil on her face was finally fading away. I was able to see her face, just not her eyes. She was beautiful...

And her mask was finally falling.

... Hm.

* * *

 _"Don't come near me! Why... why did you all come here?! Don't you know what kind of girl I am?!" The ideal form of Maki Sonomura yelled, her voice muffled by the steel mask she wore._

 _"Maki..." Masao stepped forward. "I know you feel like you can't just let it go. But doesn't everyone get jealous, now and then, one way or another?" He hung his head a bit and put a hand on his beanie. "I know I do... And on top of that, you were just being used. It's Kandori's fault, not yours!"_

 _The girl pulled on the sheets of the hospital bed she was laying, and looked away from the boy that had just spoken to her. "How often did I try to kill everyone... How can you be so nice to me?!" She snapped, curling up even further. "I don't want pity... it just makes me more miserable..."_

 _The way she told them to keep their sympathy... it was if as if she was begging._

 _That was a hard sight for her mother to behold..._

 _"I deserve to die!" She finished._

 _And that sent Masao over the edge. "That's not true!" He began, but was having trouble coming up with more words._

 _Reiji stood by the side and watched the situation unfold, with a scowl on his face. Not out of rage, but of annoyed curiosity. Those guys were too happy go lucky... he didn't understand._

 _Eventually, Nanjo scoffed, drawing my attention to him. "What a petulant child..."_

 _I looked at him, before Maki's voice called out to me once more. "You know it, don't you, Naoya? You know I'm the worst girl alive!"_

 _I shook my head. "Don't hide like that." I told her._

 _"Naoya is right." Nanjo cut in, once again. "You've sown those seeds and now it's time to reap them!" He said, before fixing his glasses. "If you want to die, then why sit around and mope about it? Don't make threats if you don't have the courage of your convictions!"_

 _Now everyone was looking at Nanjo. Masao seemed ready to lunge at his throat, and Maki's mother had her mouth ajar._

 _But Kei... he didn't care and continued his speech. "You spoke of pity?! Don't make me laugh! We came here of our will because we could sympathize with you. But even before that, did you really think you were alone in this world?_

 _We live at the sufferance of others. Each is responsible for each. Your careless decision would have left behind woulds that would never heal."_

 _The eyes and expressions of the people looking at the glass wearing boy began to change. Masao's previously clenched fists and teeth began to ease up, and even Maki's mother found it in her to close her mouth and look at her child, who was staring intently at Nanjo, who continued._

 _"If you still wanna die, go ahead. Put it all behind you. But you're our friend. We can never put you behind us."_

 _Silence followed. I knew where he was going from the beginning, but... it still hurt me badly to talk to her like that, even though she wasn't the real Maki._

 _"Now let's get back. We still have to rescue the real Maki on our own." Kei said, raising his chin and turning around. "I don't leave things undone." He finished._

 _"Wait!"_

 _I turned towards Maki. Everyone did._

 _We all saw the crack on her steel mask. It went from her chin to her forehead. It was surely going to break._

 _And it did. The pieces of metal didn't even fall to the ground, they dissipated into a colorless fog before they hit the ground. "I'm sorry, everyone. Please... Please let me come along."_

 _Masao, put a hand on his beanie and lowered his head with a smile. "O-of course you can come! Welcome back, Maki!" he couldn't contain himself and stepped forward to embrace the girl. She returned it, and her mother followed, with tears in her eyes. She truly loved her child... she was that concerned for a separate side of her..._

 _Nanjo closed his eyes and lowered his head with a small smile, and I looked towards him, giving him a nod. I couldn't hold back my smile, either._

 _Reiji simply put his hands in his pockets and allowed a smirk to show through the corner of his lips. "Heh..." He was kinda glad it ended well. One inconvenience out of way._

 _But out of the way of what? His revenge plan was already completed... what was he going to do after everything was over...?_

 _Perhaps he'd find out, if he stuck to those guys._

 _"I'm sorry, everyone. Mom, Naoya, Masao... I'm very sorry..."_

 _..._

 _..._

* * *

Another mask fell before me. And I was glad.

But... I didn't even know the girl. She could be worse then Shinato, from what I could guess.

And yet...

She began to talk in her sleep.

 _"No, you mustn't... you'll pay..._

 _How dare you... take her away... from me..."_

My vision began to blur.

 _"This isn't... right..."_ She said again, as my conscience finally gave away.

* * *

 **One thing about this chapter... I think it's long. Too long. Maybe it feels dragged out, maybe I'm just not used to lengthy chapters like this, but... I dunno tell me what you think. And I know the name of the sport is Aerial Silk, it's just Naoya that doesn't. Anyway, reviews.**

 **Nightly7: That was a bit brutal, yeah. This fic will be dark at times, that's for sure. Poor Naoya, indeed. I dunno if I could live knowing what it was like having my throat slit. The guy's gonna have to live this one down, maybe stare at the ceiling of his room a couple nights. :P Glad that you could enjoy the character and the read, I'll try to keep it up. Thanks.**

 **Raigha Raikouga: Thanks! In fact, thank you for this character. This is her arc, so I want you to tell me how she is. Any complaints, critics, opinions, you know where to say them. Thank you for the read.**

 **Seriously, though, I'm a bit unsure about this chapter's length. Do tell me what you think.** **Now, on to the usual AN. Critics and opinions in the review box below, I'm Raidou the 16th, and I approve this message. See you whatever I write next. Or not... I dunno. See ya around. o/**


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